Red String of Fate
by CancerTheCrab
Summary: Love is a curious thing. Soul mates are weird, too, but somehow both are very enjoyable if handled correctly. Kaneki comes to learn this when he meets his soul mate at the age of 19, with his new found love being 21. Needless to say, Tsukiyama Shuu was a bit of an eccentric but that just means life never got boring. A bit odd, but never boring. Rated T for smoochies later on.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Okay, so, this story isn't connected to An Early Confession but I had a burst of inspiration when I was thinking of the red string of fate and then I fell into the black hole that is Shuuneki. For those of you who don't know exactly what the red string of fate is, it's a belief that originated in China about a -stay with me- red string that is tied to your pinky. It is shared with every single person you will help throughout your life, but the more known version is one in which you share it with only one person in the entire world: your soul mate. It is said that the string can never break, though it can tangle. Everything else in the story I added on. Okie dokie enough of the history lesson…enjoy some mushy fluffy stuff!

oO-Oo

Sometimes, Kaneki could feel a tug on his little finger, immediately after a tingle ran through him, similar to hitting his funny bone. He couldn't help but look around frantically, searching for that special person his mother told him about when she was around. She had said that every time the tingly feeling ran through him it meant his soul mate was close, and to this day Kaneki remembers how she'd described a soul mate word for word.

 _Dappled sunlight. Soft giggles from outside._

" _Mom, what's a soul mate?"_

 _Soft arms, familiar scent._

" _Come here, Kaneki, where'd you hear about soul mates?_

 _Wide eyed and curious._

 _"Hide told me about it! He said that I'd marry my soul mate one day!"_

 _Gentle smiles. Stroking hair._

 _"Well, little one, a soul mate is a best friend. They know you better than anyone, even yourself! They love you with all your heart. They yearn to take care of you and be close to you. One day, when you meet them, you'll feel just the same!"_

 _Innocent excitement._

" _I will?"_

" _Yes, love. One day. But for now you need to try and find your soul mate! Every time they get closer, you'll feel it right…here," she poked him in the tum, "and when you do, remember to look around. When you find them, Kaneki, never_ ever _let them go."_

oO-Oo

Kaneki had just finished his shift at the coffee shop he worked at, and after a full day with a much more customers than usual he was ready to sleep. Until his whole body burst into the tingling sensation his head snapped up, startling Touka and Hinami. Touka worked alongside him and had been preparing to leave as well, while Hinami was a younger lady that had come by to visit him. His heart beat furiously and he spun on his heel wildly taking a couple steps toward the door. As he moved the sensation became smoother and his chest felt weird and his pinky was tugged forward by something invisible. He ignored the worried calls of his friends and bolted out the door.

For some reason, he wanted to have the weird feeling, something warm and amazing and dizzying, in his chest stronger. Unfortunately rush hour for the outdoor mall hadn't ended with his shift and he ran directly into a crowd. He turned again and heard a gasp from someone next to him, then murmurs. Kaneki looked around and saw a small crowd of people was staring at his hand. Looking down, he saw a faint red string around his pinky shimmering in the sun. He heard a gasp, it may have been from him, as he looked around with even more vigor. He pushed pass the crowd and heard them disperse, throwing a "sorry" over his shoulder. Reaching a quiet area in the mall Kaneki felt the warm swirl of emotions reached its crescendo when he suddenly made eye contact with a tall purple-haired man.

His breath was whisked out of his lungs and his eyes widened. There was no one around, no one to bump into. Kaneki took a half step forward, felt the ball of heat in his chest pulse and he believed, he knew, with all his heart and mind that this man was his soul mate. The man stood shocked and Kaneki thought he may have been tearing up but he could understand that. At that moment in time he felt like…like he was going to burst with emotion. Tears sprang up in his own eyes, why Kaneki didn't know, but he thought it may have been because it felt as though he'd been missing the other half of his soul his whole life and at that exact moment it felt so good to be close to that man and yet at the same time he felt almost physical pain and not being enveloped in those long arms.

Kaneki made up his mind. He sprinted toward his soul mate, the love of his life, and saw that he'd read his mind. The man's arms opened and he braced himself as Kaneki took one more step before jumping on the purple-haired man and wrapped his arms and legs around his warm body. A sob forced itself out of his chest as he felt his soul become complete, and he felt the chest he pressed himself against heave with a sob of its own. On contact, a name popped into his head. _Tsukiyama Shuu._ He felt so whole, so comfortable in those arms, that before meeting it was as though he was only half of himself. Now he never wanted to let go.

He heard a breathless whisper in his ear, "Kaneki…Ken. I've finally found you," his chuckle was shaky; "I'm never letting you go, I hope you know." Kaneki pressed his face into Tsukiyama's neck and inhaled deeply, trying to level out his breathing. He felt the taller man sit himself down and shifted himself to sit perpendicular to his soul mate's lap. The knot in his chest and the lump in his throat disappeared, leaving him with a sleepy, warm feeling overcoming him. Tsukiyama breathed in the comforting scent of the smaller man, who fit perfectly in his lap like a key fit a lock.

"I'm sleepy," Kaneki whispered. Tsukiyama let out a hum of agreement and didn't hesitate to stand up all while rearranging the smaller man in his arms to carry him similar to a child, allowing him to drape his arms around his neck. As they were, his nose ended up in the pitch black hair that smelled like coffee and dusty paper and peach shampoo.

Tsukiyama stood still for a moment before asking shyly, "Do you…want to, uh, come over to my house?" It was a new experience for him to be so unsure of himself; normally he'd be spouting French and being the loudest person in the room. Now, he felt his face flush and his heart pound and he could barely think straight because _oh my god this person in my arms is my soul mate and he's all_ mine _and ohmygod is this what love feels like?_ Looking down at Kaneki, he saw a blush dust those perfect cheeks and ears as he nodded, too tired and curious to be embarrassed. By just taking another sniff of his soul mate's harmonious scent, Tsukiyama felt as though he knew a little more about the man in his arms. He was also tired, so very sleepy, but the fact that Kaneki trusted him enough to practically fall asleep on him gave him the energy to make his way to his house.

Once they'd taken a nice long nap, maybe a shower too, they'd talk. Yes, that sounded nice, just talking about anything and everything. To get to know each other well. But for now, it was time to sleep.

oO-Oo

 **A/N:** I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do with this story. Most likely it'll become a two-shot, maybe a three-shot. I hope you enjoyed, this would've come sooner but school is really dragging me down…I can't really tell the difference between being sad or tired anymore. On the bright side, writing these stories makes me happy, happy enough to tell that it's not just temporary relief from stress. I love it when my phone dings and I see someone followed/favorited my other story! Remember to leave a review; I need to know if you enjoyed an update or if you want me to hurry up with a different story, okay? Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been about three weeks since Shuu had met his soul mate, and although he'd thought that love at first sight wasn't real, he knew that Kaneki had ensnared him instantly. The moment his eyes had met the smaller man's grey ones he knew this was the person he wanted to be with for the rest of his life. Currently, the two were lying on Shuu's bed, relaxing. Kaneki was reading another one of his horror novels, little noises of surprise permeating the quiet of the room. Tsukiyama took pride in being responsible for about half of the reactions, the little sighs of contentedness brought forth from the tugs he gave on the black locks. His favorite things to do when relaxing with his soul mate was carding his hands through Kaneki's hair and discreetly leave little marks all over that pale neck. The shorter man was facing the window, away from him so it was easier to sneak attack his little love. Shuu grinned and leaned forward, keeping his fingers in the black hair to avoid suspicion.

Tsuki buried his nose in the porcelain skin and breathed in deeply, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend's waist to keep him from moving. He could feel the shivers running down the back he loved to kiss, too. Holding back a grin, he noticed how the book slipped from the slender fingers and bounced onto the bed. His lips ghosted across the unmarked neck and he admired the way he immediately melted under the taller man's touch. The room was quiet except for the sharp intakes of breath and little gasps Kaneki gave as Shuu pressed his lips to the pale neck again and again. He nipped and sucked occasionally, until it was all he was doing. Hickies and red spots dotted the slender neck and he stopped for a moment to admire his work. The petite man was biting his lip and his head was bowed to allow his soul mate to lovingly torture him. Shuu maneuvered himself to have his arms and legs trap the body underneath him and his eyes roved over the flushed cheeks and hazy eyes. "Did you enjoy that, mon amour?"

"Just keep doing it," he muttered, cheeks getting even redder. Tsukiyama leaned down and kissed along his jaw line and down his neck and along his collar bone. He never got tired of the taste of his soul mate; he never got tired of kissing him and leaving pink lips red. Kaneki sighed and smiled, tugging his boyfriend down and snuggling himself into the warm body. This was how they spent their days when Kaneki was off work and Tsuki didn't have any clothes to design. They talked, ate, and went out when Ken wasn't feeling too down and Shuu was able to get up in the morning without spending too long contemplating why he sould. Mornings got much, much easier when they woke up in each other's arms. The book lay forgotten at the foot of the bed. Tsuki curled himself around the younger man and kissed his cheek, then nestled his face in the crook of his shoulder. As soon as his boyfriend's breath evened out and he was sure the small man was asleep, he allowed himself to doze off.

oO-Oo

 **A/N:** Okay so I could've made this smut but I plan on making a separate story if it's going to be rated M. My multichapter stories will be rated T or less so that everyone could read them if they don't like smut, unless I make some sort of smut book for two characters. So sorry it was short but I think I'll expand upon the hints in a later chapter and make a cavity-provoking super fluffy day out for my soul mate dorks. Please tell me if you want more on any of my stories! Bye bye.


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